After a positive pregnancy test, many couples are eager to know how many weeks has been since pregnancy. In this situation, they visit clinic and want to know about their pregnancy week. Now the most interesting part is when we tell them that their pregnancy is five weeks old, it surprises them and they have a lot of questions in their mind.
Today in this blog, we will share the important information based on the first two weeks of pregnancy and how to know them. Actually, it is an interesting part to understand the first two weeks and pregnancy for which we need to know its concept.
So, it is important to know that the first two weeks of pregnancy starts on the first date of your last menstrual cycle. Along with this, the first two weeks is a period when you are actually not pregnant. Isn’t it surprising?
Yes, it is. You might wonder that if you are not pregnant in the first two weeks, then why are these two weeks count. So let’s understand this. The total pregnancy period for a baby to grow completely is around 38 weeks. Now, the date of the last menstrual cycle is fixed but we don’t have specific dates for the release of an egg, its fertilization, etc.
So basically it is difficult to know the exact date of fertilization. That is why, for your ease, your doctor gives you an expected date of delivery after the calculation of the period starting from the first day of your last menstrual cycle and the 40th week of pregnancy. So that is why you are not actually pregnant in the first two weeks of pregnancy.
Now, what happens in these initial two weeks of pregnancy?
In the initial period of your pregnancy, which is the first two weeks, your hormones play a very important role. These hormones are at their peak that helps the eggs to get mature and release after which a pregnancy begins.
The first hormone is Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that develops in the brain and acts upon ovaries to make the eggs mature during your periods. On the fifth day, the second hormone, Luteinizing Hormone (LH), helps the follicles to mature. When these follicles become mature, the third hormone, Estrogen, is released from the brain. Now till the time, estrogen is released your first week of pregnancy ends and the second week is about to start.
As soon as the second week of pregnancy starts, the Estrogen hormone does its two major works. The first thing that the estrogen hormone does is that it helps the walls of the uterus to become more comfortable and cushion-like so that as soon as the embryo gets implanted in the uterus, the baby can grow properly.
Now, in the middle of the second week, the estrogen hormone goes to its peak level along with the previous LH hormone. In this sequence of both the hormones getting towards their peak level one by one, they help the dominant follicle to break, ovulate and release which ovulation.
This ovulation shows the end of the first two weeks of pregnancy, after which the fallopian tubes grab the egg. This egg is now ready to get fertilized by one sperm out of millions of sperm that enter the uterus. When this one sperm penetrates the egg or fertilizes it, it shows the beginning of your baby.
How to take care of yourself in these two weeks?
As you just read how important these two weeks of pregnancy are. It is crucial to understand that during this period, take extra care. First, take your prenatal vitamins on time and consume folic acid 400 grams of tablets that help in the baby’s development. Eat healthy food. Prepare your body for all the changes that have already started and will take place during pregnancy.
Eat healthy food items like green vegetables, fresh fruits, unpolished cereals, pulses, curd, milk, nuts, almonds, etc that are very beneficial if consumed in normal quantities. If you’re Non-vegetarian, you can eat lean meat like egg, chicken breast, or fish. Avoid oily, spicy, and fried food.
The next important thing to remember is that if you have a disease like thyroid, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc, consult with your doctor. These medical conditions need to be controlled before pregnancy. The next thing is that you can take preconception counseling by visiting a doctor or a gynecologist.
One last and important thing is to live a stress-free life, have a disciplined life, sleep and wake up on time, do some regular exercise, avoid smoking or drinking, etc. Notice the changes that take place in your body like your fertile window and white discharge that help to increase your chances of pregnancy.